*** Update 9/1/20: NCBPA’s Ryan Miller and Tom Foster of Commissioning WorCx presented the four proposals at the Council meeting today. During the presentation, Council members discussed at length the various situations when costs may be incurred as a result of the code changes. Due to these concerns, all four proposals were denied to move forward, but were asked to be re-represented at the December meeting with new and detailed cost-benefit analysis provided. NCBPA will work with our Commissioning Committee to re-work the four proposals into one, add an additional proposal for the compliance form, and then resubmit the proposals as one package at the December meeting. Contact us to get involved in this work.
August 2, 2020: Last Friday, members of NCBPA’s Commercial Buildings Commissioning Committee finalized four new code change proposals to bring back prior commissioning code requirements that were removed in the most recent code cycle, while also laying the ground work for future improvements in the years to come. Over the past nine months, NCBPA members have held virtual meetings to discuss code change needs and develop priorities. Last Friday, NCBPA staff submitted four code change proposals impacting these four areas on behalf of its members:
- Commissioning Provider Qualifications: This code change clarifies that the registered design professional references a licensed professional engineering firm. Having this ANSI certification ensures that the commissioning provider has the accreditation and proper training required to provide the service.
- Commissioning Provider Relationship: The role of the commissioning provider is to identify potential issues with design, installation, and sequences of operation. The commissioning provider must be an advocate for the Owner and not be conflicted to identify and document potential issues due to affiliation with the design team or construction team that may cause additional costs to the project team for redesign, installation modifications, or revisions to programmed sequences of operation. North Carolina Senate Bill 668 went further by requiring the commissioning provider to be contracted directly to the owner.
- Design Document Review: A review of the commissioned systems within the design documents should be performed to verify that systems and assemblies are designed in accordance with jurisdictional codes, industry standards, and the Owner’s Project Requirements. The review should be performed during the design phase to allow the design team to make necessary changes prior to submitting for permitting.
- Functional Performance Test: This step is included in code requirements already, however compliance is frequently an issue. This code change proposal affirms the stakeholders in the process. This step will help affirm that the documentation is completed by a registered design professional and is available for the code official in order to ensure compliance with the existing code requirements.
NCBPA thanks its commissioning committee members including Commissioning WorCx, Building EnergetiCx, MBP and Green Banyan Consulting for working on these important issues over the past nine months. Click on the files below to view the four code change proposals that will be introduced at the September 1st meeting in Raleigh.
